Diseased
by PokeTail
Summary: For some unknown reason, a large amount of wizards have been getting sick and even dying. The disease is fast spreading and Makarov's worrying for his brats safety... and is it just me or is Gray acting weird?
1. How It All Began

**Hey guys, I'm not dead! Sorry there's been little updates in a while. Stupid exams are gettin' in the way (right, Gemmery). Updates of this story won't be consistent, but have a really ever been consistent with t'ohers (something for you, Gem).**

**Disclaimer: Whatever!**

* * *

He could hear the yells of his rival echo through the guild hall as the pink haired teen beat some of the guilds 'weaker' members to a pulp. Erza Scarlet - the so called queen of fairies - was out on an S-class quest and, as usual, had refused to take the rest of the team with her. It's not that she underestimated them, it's just Titania would much rather prefer to cause the least amount of collateral damage as possible - and that would be impossible with some of the team's rambunctious members. Gray Fullbuster was sat at one of the tables with: Cana, Juvia, Elfman and Lisanna. As per usual the topless female was chugging down booze. Elfman was chatting away to Lisanna whilst Juvia fawned over her beloved Gray-sama. The latter was gritting his teeth in anger as a headache began to emerge.

"Hot-head, shut the fuck up. Your voice is givin' me a headache," he groaned, glaring at his rival.

"You wanna go, droopy-eyes?" Natsu cracked his knuckles, a menacing grin spread across his face.

Gray didn't even bother to answer, and within two seconds the boys had begun yet another brawl.

"If only Erza was here," Lucy sighed, turning to her blue haired friend who giggled in return.

"Those two idiots better not wreck the guild hall after we only just got it back," Carla added.

"YOU CAN DO IT NATSU!" Happy stood tall and proud on the table cheering on his partner whilst he could hear Juvia doing the same for the now shirtless wizard.

"Nothing ever changes with those two," Lucy smiled over at her team mates, but then it dawned to her. "Just remembered my rent's due any day now!"

"Don't worry Lucy-san, we can always go out on a job," Wendy stood and glanced over towards the request board which was full as per usual.

"Are you really willing to take a job with those two fools," Carla pointed towards the only males of the team who had seamed to put their fight on a pause.

"Job, what job?" they both inquired.

"Great..." Lucy sighed. There's no going back on it now.

Wendy and Lucy made their way to the request board, searching for a job that would involve a minimum amount of fighting but still keep the boys happy. "I guess we could take _this_ one."

Lucy showed the flyer to the group and Carla read it out. "Please defeat the clan of Teumessian Fox that have been blocking stock from reaching our village. Reward: 400 000 Jewel."

"That's 100 000 each!" Natsu and Happy cried, stars in their eyes.

The group shared a slight chuckle before preparing to leave for _Okille Village._

* * *

Okille Village was a very small neighbourhood in the west of Fiore. Everyone knew each other and strived to keep their village as peaceful as it always had been. It wasn't until the sudden increase in Teumessian Fox that their tranquil village was disrupted. The only entrance to Okille was through the forest surrounding it. The foxes had since made that forest their new home which had caused stock to rapidly decrease. Only a fair few of the villagers were wizards, but none had managed to dispose of their 'issue' which had led the village to request upon an official guild. This is where Fairy Tail came in.

After listening to Natsu complain, moan and vomit the entire journey there, the team had made it to Okille Village, seemingly avoiding any of the foxes. The mayor was at the centre of the town ready to welcome them with open arms.

"Ah, Fairy Tail, so glad you made it here safely," he chimed, shaking Lucy's hand. "I can't tell you how relieved the people were to find out Fairy Tail had accepted our request."

"We are thinking of the same guild, right?" Carla mocked.

"Carla don't be so rude," Wendy whispered, pouting.

"We are willing to do anything to rid ourselves of these Teumessian Fox," the mayor continued. "Now, I'm not sure on the exact amount of them, but I'm aware that your team has two dragon slayers so it should be simple for you to track them down."

Natsu smirked. "You can count on us, old man!"

"Aye!" Happy jumped up from his partners shoulder.

"Thank you, thank you all very much."

...And with that, the team made their way back to Okille Forest.

* * *

Each member of the team had positioned themselves in the far corners of the forest. As if on cue, the wizards were surrounded by their target.

"Wow, looks like they came to me," Natsu grinned to himself, his fist ablaze.

The Teumessian Foxes charged towards the strange being standing before them. At least half of them were the same height as Natsu and each sported a fur coat of black, white and orange. The closest fox to the man took a swing to his flaming fist. Despite the burning sensation, the fox had managed to claw through Natsu's entire fist, making him flinch in pain.

"These bastards are gonna be harder than I thought," he muttered shaking his bloodied fist.

Before he knew it, the foxes were once again charging towards him. "Karyû no Kagizume!" the Salamander yelled, hopping onto his hands and kicking all the foxes in a break-dance style.

Half of the foxes fell back whining whilst the other half continued charging towards Natsu. One pounced, biting onto his right arm, whilst others clawed at his legs and anything else they could get their paws on.

"Ow, you bastard!" Natsu gritted his teeth. He swung his arm sharply, enough to send the fox flying. He kicked the other with his foot which made it tumble into a tree.

"As for the rest of you," he began. "Karyū no Hōkō!" A funnel of flames was sent towards the pack, taking them off guard. When the smoke cleared, Natsu found everyone of the Teumessian Foxes KO'ed. "Well that takes care of that," he grinned. "Wonder what the others are up to?"

* * *

"URG! Why did we have to split up?" a certain blonde haired wizard moaned.

"I shoulda gone with Natsu," Happy sighed.

"What's that supposed to mean, cat?" Lucy glared over to the Exceed.

"Well , if you're lonely, I'd be more than happy to accompany you," a voice said out of nowhere. A voice they recognised all too well.

"Loke, you've gotta stop coming through your gate whenever you want. One of these days you're gonna give me a heart attack."

"You say that now, but you'll be grateful next time I save your life," Loke smiled towards his master.

Lucy just rolled her eyes before smiling back, blushing slightly.

"You lllllllllllllike each other," Happy giggled, taunting the blonde.

Lucy was about to retaliate when she, along with Happy, were pulled aside by the Lion Spirit. "Look out!"

A pack of Teumessian Foxes jumped out from the bushes, making their presence know.

"Thanks Loke," Lucy was still wide-eyed in shock. "Are these the animals we have to hunt?"

"Aye. Now let's finish things quickly at get our reward... So good luck guys," the blue cat flew up high, out of the foxes reach.

"Let's do this, Loke," Lucy grinned, pulling out her whip.

"Ready when you are," the Lion answered, his fists flaring with light.

The foxes seamed almost intimidated by the spirit as he charged towards them; some even tried to escape, but to no avail. Lucy managed the catch the escapees with her whip before Loke knocked them unconscious.

"It seams unfair to kill them, I mean their just animals," Lucy frowned towards the defenceless creatures.

"It's a part of the job, Lucy," Loke reminded whilst punching a fox in the jaw. "Not to mention they're vicious."

"AUG!" They heard a high pitched squeal. One of the foxes had jumped up and managed to grab onto Happy's tail and drag him down.

"Happy!" Lucy cried, grabbing her keys. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull. Taurus!"

"Moo-Rampage!" Taurus roared, swinging his axe down at the foxes, subsequently releasing Happy from their grasp.

The blue Exceed clung to his tail, fighting back tears from the sheer pain. Lucy, with the help of her spirits, finally managed to beat the remaining Teumessian Foxes before running to Happy's side, cradling him in her arms. "C'mon, let's get you back to the village and get you looked at," she smiled and ran back towards to village with her spirits on guard.

* * *

Wendy was running. Running as fast as her little legs could carry her. At least four Teumessian Foxes were close on her tail. Carla was flying along side her with a look of panic taking over her face.

"You need a plan if you're going to beat them, Wendy," the Exceed instructed.

"I'm doing my best," Wendy moaned. It was hard to come up with a decent plan whilst running for her life. But, then it came to her. "Carla, pick me up."

As she was told, Carla grabbed the young dragon slayer and flew up just out of their reach.

"Tenryū no Hōkō!" Wendy cried, sending a harsh gust of air towards the creatures. The force of the attack had managed to knock out the four foxes that were previously chasing her, but unfortunately for her, she had gained the attention of many others.

"Great, just what we needed," Carla sighed. "What now?"

Wendy was silent for a moment. _What would Natsu-san do? _She thought. "Carla, charge in head on."

"You're joking, right? That's way too reckless!"

"Trust me, Carla. Please," Wendy turned to look at her partner with a very determined look in her eyes.

Carla rolled her eyes and activated her max speed, heading straight towards the foxes. All eyes were on the pair as they dived towards the pack.

"Tenryū no Kenkaku!" Wendy roared, sending the foxes off their feat and flying out of the forest. "Maybe I went overboard?"

"You think," Carla rolled her eyes at the guilds influences on the child.

* * *

Gray was taking a somewhat leisurely stroll though Okille forest... that was until he heard a growling coming from all angles.

"These bastards don't waste any time, do they?" He grinned to himself, placing his left fist into the palm of his other hand.

"Ice-make Lance!" he cried, sending sheets of ice towards the closest group of Teumessian Foxes.

They yelped in pain as the ice was embedded into their chests. More foxes quickly pounced towards the ice wizard and before he knew it, he was surrounded. Gray rapidly put up a frozen shield on his right whilst continuing to attack from his left. A particularly large fox charged towards Gray's shield and smashed through the ice. The ice wizard was taken by surprise as the fox clawed at his shoulders and pinned him to the floor. _Shit! _he thought, unable to bring his hands together to cast his magic. _I promised myself I'd never do this but..._

"Ice-make Sword!" Gray clenched his fist and conjured up a frozen sword. After Lyon had multiple attempts at one handed ice-make (every time resulting in a punch from Ur) Gray had sworn that he'd stick to his master's methods. The sword was lodged into the fox before it was able to bite the raven's head off. Gray kicked him aside and quickly regained his posture.

"This is getting annoying," he grunted. "Ice-make Cold Excalibur!" Gray charged towards the pack of foxes, swinging his sword left and right. The foxes were down and out before you could say 'sub-zero'. Gray made sure to freeze up his wounds. There was a feint rustling from a near by bush, unheard by the ice wizard.

"Ow," a spike of pain shot through the back of Gray's neck. "What the hell was that?"

* * *

**Thanks for reading and other the other end of story stuff.**

**Now onto the manga. (Spoilers)**

**Holy sh*t Gray! What the f*ck are you thinking? If you even dare kill Frosch I will rain hell upon you! **

**My theory is that, like with dragon slayers, devil slayers need a demon inside of them to create anti-bodies to prevent them from turning into demons. Gray doesn't have a demon inside of him and therefore doesn't have any anti-bodies to prevent him from turning into a demon. Basically, he's the Acnologia of devil slayers!**

**Favourite, Review, Follow!**

**Thanks guy's, love ya! XD**


	2. Nightmares

**I can't even write authors notes without messing up what I type. I made 'bout five errors just trying to type the previous sentence (face palm). Anyway, I'm having soooo much fun writing this fic that I couldn't wait to upload this chapter. Thank you soooo much for all the favourites/follows/reviews. I've already beaten the amount I had on Fairy Who and we're only at the beginning. Hope you enjoy! XD**

**Disclaimer: Nope... still don't own it.**

* * *

_Damn my head hurts _Gray thought to himself and he rejoined the rest of his team in Okille Village, maybe he'd been working too hard?

"Those stupid fox guys shouldn't be botherin' you any time soon," Natsu grinned.

"Oh, you have no idea how thankful I am," the mayor bowed towards the group. "Come with me and I'll give you your reward."

All eyes gleamed at the mention of their reward - Natsu and Happy we're literally drooling. They followed behind the mayor with Gray somewhat slaking. Lucy was the only one to notice his uncharacteristic behaviour.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, fine," he replied blankly. "My shoulders just aching, I'll be fine."

"Wuss," Natsu snickered from the front of the group. Gray just rolled his eyes.

"Never mind you, what about my tail?" Happy was still clutching his shredded tail.

"After you've collected the reward, you can stop off at the hospital and get your wounds patched up," the mayor smiled.

Wendy smiled in return and turned to Happy. "Will this help?" She held her hand over the Exceed's wound as a green hue appeared. Happy sighed as the young dragon slayer managed to ease his pain.

"Thanks Wendy!"

After collecting their reward, the team sat in the hospital bandaging any of their fresh wounds. They were all ready to leave when they overheard a doctor and nurse talking about something that peeked their interest.

"Derek, we have another victim of the disease," the nurse informed.

"Another wizard's been infected?" Derek asked. "Angie, are you sure it's the same disease as the others?"

"Positive. The man's magic has been cut of and his body's completely shut down."

"Crap, this has moved along faster than I thought. Gather the equipment and meet me in the O.R." And with that, they dashed off.

"What were they talking about? What disease?" Carla questioned.

"It's affecting wizards too," Lucy pointed out, concern in her voice.

"Calm down, Lucy. I'm sure it's nothing," Natsu smiled, reassuring the blonde.

"Still, if it can cut of your supply of magic, it could be very dangerous," Wendy pondered.

"I wouldn't think anything of it," Gray reassured. "Let's just get back to the guild. If you're really worried, talk to Gramps about it."

The girls nodded as the took of. The mayor offered them a vehicle to get them to the nearest train station and Natsu groaned in annoyance.

* * *

After another half an hour, the team were finally settled on the train to Magnolia. Well, most of them were settled. A feint groan could be heard from the Salamander every time the train shook, which was a lot. Wendy was fast asleep with her head against the window and Carla on her lap. Lucy was stroking a snoring cat before she nodded off. Gray took this as an opportunity to rest his eyes for a bit and hopefully get rid of his killer headache. Staring out of the window, his eyes slowly drifted to a close.

_He was sat at the dinner table, with two other figures he new all too well. The young boy had a look of annoyance on his face as his parents spoke._

_"Gray-kun, what have we told you about fighting the other boys?" the woman asked._

_"They called me a wimp," the boy looked away, growling._

_"Silver-sama, a little help, please," the woman looked over to her husband who sighed before walking over to his son._

_"Listen Gray, you're the strongest boy I know. If those other boys call you a wimp just leave them to it. They're just jealous of your courage and strength. Grow up strong, Gray."_

_Gray smirked as his father ruffled his hair. Finishing the meal, Gray assisted his mother in clearing the table and the family all came together on the couch with Gray in the middle._

_Just as the raven haired boy started nodding off, a tremendous roar screeched through the entire village. His mother tightened her grip on her son and Silver rose from the couch._

_"Mum, what was that?" Gray questioned, a look of shock on his face._

_"Honey, you and Gray need to get out of here, now!" Silver kissed his wife and gave a quick hug to his son before heading to the door._

_"What about you?" Mika called out to him._

_"I've got to protect the village with the other men," Silver replied with a determined expression... and with that, he left._

_"Come on, Gray-kun," his mother took his hand as the two made there way out of the house and towards the closest exit._

_Gray was about to start questioning his mother again when another ear splitting roar erupts through the village. The young raven turned around to see a ferocious beast towering over the village. "What the heck is that thing?" Gray screamed above the noise._

_"Keep moving, Gray-kun," his mother instructed. "That beast is Deliora. The Demon of Destruction."_

_Gray's mouth was wide with shock, he got so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear or see the intense magic beam from Deliora coming right in their direction. Mika, seeing the unavoidable beam, took her son in her arms and hugged him tightly. She wished this moment could last forever, but she new the in a matter of seconds, everything would be over. "I love you, Gray-kun." A single tear fell from her face as she tossed the boy into a near by ally._

_Gray had no idea what was going on until he heard an agonising scream come from behind. He turned around to see his beloved mother surrounded by Deliora's flames as she burned to a crisp. "MUM!" he cried. As the flames ceased, not even Mika's ashes remained. "NOOOOOOO!" Gray fell back to the cold, hard floor. His mother was gone. Gone for good. The world seemed to stop around him as he cried to his hearts content._

_Silver had managed to hear his wife's screams and rapidly headed in their direction only to find his tearful son. He hurried over and pulled the boy into a warm embrace. "You're alright, Gray. I'm here."_

_"M-mum, she... she..." Gray couldn't bring himself to say it. There was no way he would believe his mother was gone._

_"It's okay," was all Silver could muster, pulling the boy closer. "Let's get outta here." He carried Gray against his chest as the young raven's leg were shaking too much to support his weight. Explosions could be heard throughout the once tranquil village, but Silver kept running. His son's future was at risk and he wasn't going to let a filthy demon steel it from him. Little did he know that said demon was fast approaching. _

_The roar was heard again. They weren't going to make it. He saw the deadly claw swing down. Then, he saw black. Him and his son were flung into a near by building that only just managed to keep its structure on impact. Gray coughed up blood before regaining consciousness... and he really wished he didn't. He was met with another horrifying sight. His father lay in front of him, eyes wide open and staring right at him. A large gash was present on his face and Gray shook his head in denial. "No, no, no, NO!" He screamed the last 'no' scurrying over to his deceased father. "NOOOOO!" Tears overwhelmed his dark eyes and he clung to his father. Deliora roared again, but he no longer cared. There was nothing left form him. At least if he died, he would be with his parents. The demon swung again and the boy was once again flung into the building. Oh, but not enough the grant his wish. Only break some bones and make him lose consciousness. This disaster... in the heart of the flame... where no prayers could reach. Fate was a cruel thing._

* * *

Gray woke up with a gasp. What the hell? he thought. He hadn't dreamt about Deliora in months. Why now?

"Are you okay, Gray?" Happy asked, rubbing his eyes.

Must of woken him up Gray thought. It was at this point that Gray realised he was sweating... a lot. "I-I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. You wanna talk about it?"

"Nah, I'm fine. Just a bad dream."

Happy looked at him with concerned eyes as Gray smiled towards the Exceed. He put his head back up against the window and closed his eyes again. Almost immediately, images of Ur fighting Deliora popped into his mind as his eyes snapped open again. There was no way he was getting back to sleep now.

* * *

**I loved writing the flashback scene. I'm so cruel to poor Gray. XD**

**And now we're back to rants about the manga.**

**When Gray was explaining his reasons for joining Avatar I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. Especially when he said that the only reason he exists is to crush E.N.D. What's the poor guy gonna do when he realises that E.N.D. was he friend/rival the whole time. Anticipating Natsu vs Gray! And Gajeel with the council was so sweet!**

**Don't forget to review etc. **

**Thanks for reading! XD**


	3. Reminisce

**Okay, okay. I know I said no more chapters until after exams, but...**

**As it's my dear friend Gemmery's birthday, I thought I'd post this a a little 'present.' I hope she actually sees this and isn't too busy messing on Cubase. :p HAPPY BIRTHDAY NUMBSKULL!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine... (I'm running outta stupid stuff to write here)**

* * *

"WE'RE BACK!" Natsu bashed the doors to the guild hall open with his foot.

"Welcome back, everyone," Mirajane greeted the team.

Lucy waved over to Erza who had recently returned from her job and the team joined her at the bar. Well, Natsu thought it would be much more fun to pick a pointless fight with Gajeel. Erza was snacking on her signature strawberry cake and didn't even look up from her plate when the team arrived. "So how did the job go?"

"It could have gone better, but we got the job done," Lucy winked.

"The reward was good too," Wendy smiled. "How did your job go, Erza-san?"

"Piece of cake," was her blank reply. The girls were about to ask more when they were interrupted by the beautiful bartender.

"What can I get you all?" she asked with a smile.

"I'll get one of your delicious smoothies, please," Lucy smiled.

"Ohh, me too, please," Wendy added.

"Make that three," Carla finished.

"Happy, I'll assume you want fish?"

"Aye!"

"Gray, want anything?"

"Just water... with ice."

"Natsu want anything?" No answer.

* * *

After Natsu and Gajeel grew board of their fight, said fire wizard went looking for another brawl... and he knew just who to pick on.

"Gray, fight me, you droopy-eyed bastard!"

"Not in the mood, flame-brain," Gray sighed, chugging his fourth glass of water.

The girls were shocked at Gray's reaction. Usually, Gray would jump at the chance to beat up Natsu, but today was different.

Lucy was the first to speak up. "Wait, did I hear that right? Did Gray, _the _Gray, just decline a fight with Natsu? What, you sick or something?" Lucy, jokingly, placed her hand on Gray's forehead and her eyes widened. "Actually, you do feel a bit warmer that usual." This peaked the others interest. "You okay?"

This got the attention of a certain blue haired wizard. "If Gray-sama is sick, Juvia will be more that happy to take care of him." She smiled, almost pushing Lucy of her chair.

"I'm fine," Gray rolled his eyes and pushed water-user away.

"Well, if you're fine," Natsu yelled. "Get your ass over here and fight me." He threw one of Cana's empty barrels, hitting Gray's naked back.

Gray gritted his teeth in pure anger before bringing his hands together. "Ice-Make: Ice Cannon." He fired in Natsu's direction. Having no time to react, the Salamander was forced to the floor, knocking down Gajeel in the process. The whole guild turned to look at Gray with surprise. _Someone woke up on the wrong side of bed. What's got into him. That was harsh even for Gray, _were the thoughts of multiple members. Erza whipped her head around to glare at the ice wizard. She was about to open her mouth when said raven rose from his seat - head down - and stomped out of the guild hall, again, to their surprise.

"What the crap?" Natsu stared at the door.

"Gray-sama," Juvia muttered.

Other members of the guild began conversing about the current events.

* * *

Gray kept his head down as he stormed through Magnolia. God, he hated Natsu sometimes. _Couldn't he tell I wasn't in the mood _Gray thought, slightly chuckling at just how much faith he had in the fire wizard. Memories of their previous fights flew into his mind - most of which took place at the river side. The old riverside was a very nostalgic place for Gray. He remembered it for fond reasons and for bad... mainly bad. Most were him and the previously mentioned flame-brain going head-to-head for reasons he couldn't remember. Feeling his anger rising again, he scoured his brain for happier memories.

He thought of Erza. When he tried to challenge her to a fight after many failed attempts of victory, only to find her crying through her one functioning eye. Gray smiled at his foolishness; he never knew what to do when a girl was crying, let alone one he used to have a crush on. The boy blushed at the memory. Erza was more of a big sister to him now so the former crush just seemed creepy. He decided not to think too much about it.

He thought of Cana. How innocent she used to be. They would always sit but the river side and divide up their Jewels after a job well done. He missed going on jobs with Cana. He had done for the longest time until he had been, unwillingly, recruited by Erza. Thankfully, Cana didn't seem the least bit fazed. That's what he liked about her. The stereotypical girl would have brought hell upon him for ditching his old team for a stronger one. Cana wasn't like that. As long as Gray kept his promise of their weekly drink together, Cana was a happy woman.

He thought of Gildarts. A father figure to many of the guilds youngsters (he literally was for Cana). Gildarts was the person that guided the raven to Fairy Tail. If it weren't for him, Gray would probably still be wandering around Fiore with no destination in mind. Every year, during the anniversary of his parents' and Ur's death, Gildarts would always find Gray sat by the river, watching the water flow down the seemingly endless stream. He wouldn't have to ask what was troubling the young boy; he knew all too well. It was commonly known that Gildarts had a close relationship with Natsu, but he cared for Gray more than the rest knew. He'd watched the ice wizard go from a broken boy with no home, to a strong and fearless wizard who'd do anything to protect his guild... and Gray was thankful to have Gildarts watching over him.

Suddenly, a wave of dizziness sent Gray leaning into a nearby building; dark spots threatening to cover his vision. He clutched his jet black hair and tried blinking off the bizarre sensation. "Who knew thinking too much could actually give you a headache," Gray groaned to him self, regaining his posture. He decided it was due to lack of sleep on the train journey and brushed that situation out of his mind as he continued walking to his house. Little did he know that he was yet again being stalked by a particular blue-haired comrade of his, who frowned when she noticed her fantasy boyfriend's state.

Gray's house - an old, rundown church that he polished up - was located on the mountainside on the outskirts of Magnolia. Sure it wasn't anything fancy, but it was _his_ home. His only salvation from the craziness that takes place at the guild. He yawned into his palm before creating an icy key and turning the lock. He threw down his bag and slumped down on his bed, panting slightly. _Why am I so damn hot? _he thought_. _He tossed his trousers to the other side of the room so he was just left in his boxers and tried to get himself comfortable. Just as he was about to nod off, there was a knock at the door. _Great _he thought.

"Gray-sama?" The voice called. "It's Juvia."

"Just great," he muttered to himself, heading towards the door. He slowly pulled the doorknob and was met with concerned eyes.

When the door opened, Juvia rushed towards her guild mate and placed her hand on his forehead. "Gray-sama, you're burning up. You're sick, aren't you?"

Gray rolled his eyes for what felt like the fifteenth time today. "You're overreacting. Ice wizards don't get sick."

"But..."

"I just didn't get much rest after the job, okay? Really, I'm fine."

"If Gray-sama is sure," the rain woman began to turn around, then stopped. "But, if you need anything, you can count of Juvia to take care of you."

"Jee, thanks," Gray replied sarcastically, as Juvia walked away.

As the bluenette made her way back onto the main road one thought went through her mind. _You're hiding something, aren't you?_

* * *

**Yay! Honestly, I loved writing this chapter. Especially the parts where Gray reminisces about his close friends. Hope you enjoyed it.**

**This chapter used to be authors notes, but then I deleted that chapter and made this instead. So, sorry to IcePrinceRay and Gemmery 'coz as far as I know there is no way to delete reviews so you can't review this new chappie. Well, you could always review as a guest *wink, wink.* JK XD**

**This'll be the last chapter I post until after the 17th June (I may have got the date wrong last time :p) and this time I mean it. Thanks for stickin' with me, I'll try not to dissapoint in future chapters. XD**

**I have a internet cookie especially for you if you follow, favourite and review... haha... bribery (I'm so tired).**


	4. The Day After

**Soooo... I know I'm a little- okay, I'm a lot later than I thought I'd be with this new chapter and I really have no excuse. It just took me a while to get back into the writing mood. But hey, I back now so please forgive me for my 'extended' absence. :)**

**Disclaimer: Don't own it...**

* * *

The moon had tucked itself away behind the vibrant hue of morning as the sun rose from its slumber. Tendrils of light trickled through the cracks in the curtains and Gray forced his eyelids open. All he wanted was the slightest bit of sleep. The previous night was spent constantly being awoken by memories of the Eclipse. The ice wizard stretched, but his arms immediately fell back down. Even the slightest of movement made his joints scream in pain. Why did he feel like such crap? He'd only been out on a job yesterday and didn't over-work himself in the slightest. Gray clutched his throbbing head - God, he hated waking up with a headache - and rubbed his eyes clear. He threw the blanket off to the side and shuddered. Was he cold? But, the cold never bother him, why would it start now? Just the thought of it made Gray's head throb even more. The raven rolled out of bed and went over to the wardrobe. Wearing his signature white coat, he continued preparing for yet another day at the guild. Remembering yesterday's events, he had no doubt that he'd get a few funny looks.

He'd managed to reach the markets of Magnolia after what felt like a lifetime. Gray was never one for mornings, but today his movements were even more lagged and sluggish than usual. He still felt absolutely exhausted and he could of sworn that he blacked out at least three times; not to mention he almost fell in the river. The raven kept trudging along the streets of Magnolia, occasionally waving at the locals. The pleasant morning scenes were almost enough to make Gray forget about his still aching joints, that was until Takuma - the local butcher - noticed the wizard's odd behaviour.

"You ain't lookin' to well today kid, been workin' yerself too hard?" he asked, calling over to Gray.

"I don't need you telling me I'm over-working," Gray turned, grinning slightly towards the man.

"Just don't want yer collapsin' on the street and gettin' in the way of me customers," Takuma chuckled.

"Quit worrying, I'm more that capable of looking after myself," Gray waved the butcher off and slowly but surely, continued in his way towards the guild.

"As stubborn as always, I see," Takuma frowned.

* * *

The guild was in eyesight. The bright sun was beating down on Magnolia on the glorious summers day. So why was Gray so cold? The fact that he was actually cold was already strange enough, but a day like today would usually cause the sub zero wizard to overheat. Well, if the raven had a preference, he'd chose to be cold that hot. At least he could deal with the cold to some extent. However, this cold he was feeling was... different. A kind of unnatural cold. Gray yawned into his palm and strode into the guild hall. Luckily for him, most of the members seemed to have forgotten about the previous day's events and continued doing whatever it was that they do. He glanced towards the teams' usual table. Erza was the first to look up. Seeing Gray, she elbowed the salamander sat next to her who also looked up. He then turned to Erza and mumbled something which sounded like "do I have to" before Erza glared at the wizard. Natsu groaned and pulled himself out of his chair and made his way over to his rival, Erza's gaze still haunting him.

"Look, I'm gonna pretend to apologise about what happened yesterday so Erza's happy, so just go alone with it," of course Natsu wasn't going to apologise, not even with Erza's killer glare staring him down.

Gray rolled his eyes before replying. "It's fine, don't worry 'bout it." He punched Natsu on the shoulder and the two boys walked back over to their table. They got themselves seated and Mira brought a drink over for the raven.

"So, whose up for another job today?" Natsu grinned, clenching his fists.

"Aye!" Happy jumped up onto his partners shoulders.

"Didn't we just do one yesterday?" Gray sighed.

"So?" Was Natsu's response. "You just too damn weak to go on another job?"

"What did you just call me, fire freak?"

"BOY'S!" Erza roared.

"S-sorry," they both answered in sync.

"I don't see the problem in taking up a request, considering I missed your last mission." Erza continued before the boy's had a chance to throw another insult at each other.

"It's been a long time since we've all be on a job together," Wendy added.

"And it'll be much easier now Erza's back," Lucy smiled.

"Yeah... What could possibly go wrong?" Carla mocked.

Gray was reluctant at first. Every muscle in his body still ached from the morning - he must of slept funny. Natsu's previous remark about the raven being to weak angered him enough to oblige and the team went over to the request board.

As per usual, the request board was filled to the brim with jobs. Nab was in his usual position staring at the board, hoping that _something, _any job would be the perfect one for him. There were all sorts of jobs. From guarding a Dukes treasure to to rescuing a mayor's daughter. The possibilities were endless. Five pairs of eyes scanned the board for a request that would suite the destructive team best. Natsu was the one to grab the job (no surprise there). _Defeat a group of bandits that have been steeling from local villages - Reward 100 000 Jewel. _Seemed easy enough... and had enough fighting in to keep the male wizards happy. The group packed their bags and began to walk towards the door when they were halted by their beloved guild master.

"Listen up, brats," he called out to the guild. Everyone gathered around the stage and listened to what he had to say. "Apparently, there has been an outbreak of a disease. What is causing this disease is currently unknown, but what we do know is that it's affecting wizards. There have already been a few casualties so I beg you all to be careful. If you notice any abnormalities in yourself, please let me know. Some symptoms include: dizzy spells, drowsiness and effects the outcome of your magic. The disease reaches its peak when it shuts down the wizards' body and they collapse. Once again, please be careful, brats."

"Aye," the guild members cried before continuing with their day.

* * *

The team left the guild hall and made their way to the bandits' hideout. Fortunately for Natsu, the bandits' hideout wasn't that far away from Magnolia so they could get their on foot. The girls were becoming anxious after news of the disease. Wendy twiddled her thumbs while Lucy twirled her hair.

"So the disease we heard the doctors mention yesterday, could be fatal to us?" Lucy's voice was shaking.

"Don't worry 'bout it," Natsu put his hand on her shoulder, reassuring the blonde. "Some dumb disease ain't gonna affect us, right?"

"Aye!" Happy cried. "'Coz we're the strongest team."

"It doesn't work like that, idiots," Erza barked. "The disease literally attacks your magic vessel."

"In other words," Carla continued. "The stronger the wizard, the more effective the disease will be."

"I hope none of us get the disease," Wendy shuddered. "What if it's contagious?"

"I doubt that," Gray replied, pulling his coat in further. "If it was contagious, it would have spread and effected many more wizards than is currently known."

"I hope your right," Lucy did her best to force on a smile.

* * *

By midday, the team had made it to their destination. A small, rundown building with a strange looking mask above the door.

"They must be a treasure hunters' guild," Erza questioned from the front of the group.

"Doesn't make a difference. We're still gonna pound them," Natsu slammed his fist into his palm. "I'm all fired up!"

"If we hurry we can make it back to the guild before night fall," Wendy informed.

"Try and keep the collateral damage to a minimum guys," Lucy chuckled.

"...Right," Gray muttered, shivering slightly.

"LET'S GO!"

* * *

**As per usual, thanks for reading!**

**I hope you all like the small scene with my OC, Takuma. I feel that since Fairy Tail is so popular in Magnolia that they must have some sort of interaction with the people living there.**

**I know my chapters have been getting smaller and smaller in this fic, but fear not. The next chapter is almost double the length of this one.**

**Now, a quick question for you all. I've been giving some more focus to the fanfic I've been working on for a while now called 'Mystery Circle.' I currently have fifteen OC's created out of my original goal twenty-five. I'm having trouble coming up with the rest so do you guys think I toy just cap the OC's at fifteen or keep going until I get twenty-five. Of course this mean that it will take much longer to come out if I make more, but if I stop, I get get writing more chapters and it could be released sooner. Let me know what you guys think.**

**Again, thanks for being so patient with me since it's been well over a month. Hopefully you won't have to wait as long for the next chapter now that I've finished school. :D **


	5. Maybe Something is Wrong?

**Imma back, with another exciting chapter. Also, thanks to everyone who's reviewed, followed and ****favourited! I can't believe how many I've gotten. You guys are the best! I hope you enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: No, still don't own it**

* * *

The team made their way around the back of the building and popped a window out of the frame. They each crawled through, one after the other with Natsu giving Wendy a boost up to their passageway. Erza took a quick glance at their surroundings and realised that they were in the guild's storage room. Boxes were piled on metal shelves, filled with daggers, knives and other weapons. Luckily for them, the door had been left open - rookie mistake on the guild's part. Erza carefully placed her hand around the door knob and the door creaked open; just enough for the team to get a peak of the guild. There were multiple corridors left and right. Natsu was ready to charge down one of them and blow away any members of the guild he could find before being pulled back by the red head.

"For once, would you please not run into things without thinking?" Natsu could feel Titania's killer glare and shuddered.

"Yes m'am!" He cried.

"Don't be so load, idiot. We don't wanna get caught right off the bat," Gray snarled.

"You're being just as loud as him, Gray-san," Wendy sighed.

Erza rolled her eyes before continuing. "I think our best option is to split up. We'll have a better chance of encountering more members if we divide our forces."

"We're splitting up AGAIN?!" Lucy moaned.

"Is there a problem with that?" the red-head inquired, sternly.

"Uhh... No m'am."

Natsu took this opportunity to dash down the first hallway he could find, leaving the rest of his team to divide up on there own... And with that, their mission officially began.

* * *

Natsu wasted no time in letting his presence be known. In less than thirty seconds, the salamander had already been swarmed by a group of treasure hunters; weapons in hands. _Perfect _he thought, and in one swift movement he knocked at least half the hunters down with his flaming fists.

"Sheesh, you guys don't put up much of a fight, do ya?" Natsu teased.

A few members struggled to get back on their feet, not daring to make eye contact with the man in front of them. "I've heard of this guy before," one stated. "Isn't that Fairy Tail's salamander? Natsu Dragneel." As the infamous name was spoken, the hallway was filled with horrified gasps as Natsu grinned at their fear.

"C'mon. I came all this way and _this _is the best you can do?" Natsu moaned, unsatisfied with the guild's pitiful actions.

"Hah, you ain't seen nothin' yet!" One of the members provoked. "No one has seen my Alpha sword and lived to tell the ta-"

Natsu threw his fist towards the cocky treasure hunter and sent him flying into the wall behind. Other members of their guild stared in pure shock at the event. "That guy just took down Kaito!" One cried. "Who is this freak?" Another questioned. "He's a monster!" Someone declared.

"A monster, huh?" Natsu smirked. "I'm just punishing the guilty party. Who was it that's been steeling from all those villages?" It was rhetorical, but enough to send shivers up everyone's spines. Wasting no time, the salamander sent a funnel of flames directed towards the cowering guild members. As the residue of battle subsided, Natsu found the solid ground littered with the limp bodies of the pompous hunters.

"Jeez, are all treasure hunters this pathetic?" He asked himself. Putting his arms around the back of his head, Natsu strode off to find more people to punch.

* * *

Lucy was complaining. Of course she had waited until Erza was way out of range to hear her whining and Happy was not enjoying himself. "Why did Natsu have to run off and leave me with you again?"

"What was that, cat?!" Lucy's eyes narrowed.

"Relax, I'm just teasing," Happy smiled awkwardly. "Anyway, where the heck are these guys?"

"Beats me. Erza said we need to keep our guard up because they could show up at any minute," Lucy scanned her surroundings, preparing for an enemy attack when...

"Why hello, milady," a familiar voice greeted.

Lucy screeched, sending a karate chop in the direction of the voice, only to realise shortly after that she just back handed Loke across the face. "Crap, sorry Loke. Though, I have told you not to randomly pop out of your gate like that." She rolled her eyes.

"I sensed an enemies presence and thought you might want some assistance."

"Oh... Umm... Thanks," Lucy was lost for words as her cheeks turned bright red as a tomato.

"We found more intruders!" Echoed down the hallway and, as if on cue, the team of three were surrounded by more guild members.

"Lucy, by the looks of things these members aren't that strong. Don't waste your magic," Loke instructed.

"Don't have to tell me twice," Lucy grinned, pulling out her weapon.

"Charge!" The treasure hunter yelled in unison.

It didn't take too long until half the members were struck down by Lucy's deathly whip, leaving the rest for a Regulas punch from Loke. Once the current group was defeated, Lucy and Loke high-fives at their small victory. "Yeah! These treasure hunters got nothing on us!" Lucy winked.

"At least my tail wasn't torn to shreds again," Happy smiles glancing at his bandaged tail.

"If you need me for anything else, feel free to call," Loke pushed up his glasses only to receive an annoyed glare from his master. "I promise I won't come though my gate without your approval."

Lucy rolled her eyes at the lion's goofy smile. Happy perched himself onto her shoulder and the two ventured further into the building.

* * *

Erza was confidently striding down a hallway of the guild. Determination spread across her face as she scanned the area for possible threats. Sure enough, another pack of treasure hunters encircled the red-head, but this did not faze the female warrior. Faster than the speed of light, Erza requipped two of her swords and charged at the foe before her. Unable to obtain any sort of defence, the first batch of hunters were down. Without a hair out of place, Erza regained her posture and continued on. She didn't get far until the reinforcements showed up, this time, coming in bigger packs.

"If you were to surrender, this situation would be much better for the both of us," Erza suggested in a calm tone.

"Ain't gonna happen, lady," one of the grunts replied.

"Ho, if that's the case... Requip, Flight Armour!"

Most of the male hunters turned a shade of red watching Erza's clothes vanish and be replaced with a more revealing attire, which gave the wizard the opening she needed.

Dashing forward, Erza cried. "Sonic Claw!" The result of her attack sent her to the other side of the hunters with them still standing. However, they were soon to drop like dominoes, their limp bodies giving in to the inevitable slumber that awaited them. Erza then walked on, not needing to double check in case she missed someone, because really, she's Erza after all.

* * *

"Jeez, honestly those morons should know better than to charge an enemy base like that," Carla snarled.

"What else do you expect from Natsu-san and the others?" Wendy giggled.

"Now's not the time for jokes! We need to be prepared for when they show up."

"Oh, uh... Right." Wendy's eyes narrowed as she focused on her high tended senses to tell her of any oncoming threats. Here eyes widened shortly after. They were coming... And there was a lot of them. "Get ready, Carla!"

Just as suspected, the treasure hunters made their appearance. Each one armed with a unique weapon, they all stared at the bluenette in confusion. "Are we supposed to take out this mere child and her cat?" One questioned.

"Let's have some fun with them instead," another suggested.

_These guys are creeps _Wendy thought, hugging herself for protection. She was about to attack when she was interrupted by her feline friend.

"Don't you dare lay your hands on Wendy, you freak!" The Exceed proclaimed scratching the hunter's face.

"You wench!" The man grabbed hold of his sword which was fastened in his belt.

"Carla get out of there!" Wendy screamed as the winds picked up. "Tenryū no Yokugeki!"

Carla only just managed to fly away before Wendy's attack struck its target sending them flying down the hallway.

"Well, I guess treasure hunters weren't as strong as we originally thought," Carla pondered.

"Hopefully the others will have defeated them rest of this guild and we can finish up this job," Wendy smiled.

* * *

Gray rubbed his hands together in attempt to warm himself up, but to no avail. The ice wizard continued to shiver as he made his way down the hallway, almost completely oblivious to what was going on around him. _Jeez, why the hell am I so cold? I never get cold _Gray thought. These hot and cold spells were going to drive the raven insane. His thoughts the went back to his encounter with Juvia yesterday. The idea of him being sick was purely ridiculous, right? He'd just not slept well, that was all. The nightmares had prevented him from getting any sleep which was causing him to feel like crap... Still, that didn't explain the random nausea he felt the previous day. Just thinking about this made his head pound with pain. He stopped in his tracks for a brief moment as the world began to spin. Gray clutched his hair and squeezed his eyes shut. First mistake. Whilst the raven was distracted, a group of hunters turned the corner, armed and ready to fight. By the time Gray had come back to his senses, the group were already charging towards him, leaving no time for Gray to react. In an attempt to shield himself, Gray brought his arms towards his face to cover the blow. The first hunter swung down his hammer and sent Gray flying down the corridor. Quickly getting to his feet, Gray slammed his fist into his palm to perform his magic.

"Ice-Make: La-" he was taken completely off guard when his magic exploded around him, sending the hunters and himself to the ground.

"Haha! And _he's _supposed to be a Fairy Tail wizard. He can't even control his own magic," one of the hunters laughed.

Gray, on the other hand, was too in shock to listen. _What the hell was that?_ He thought. He kept staring at his hands with a look of confusion. Gray hadn't had his magic backfire on him since he was training with Ur, so why now? Pushing himself off the ground, he went to cast another spell and, like before, his magic exploded and knocked him back into a wall. The impact sent black spots darting around his vision and his head pounded so hard it was making his limbs shake. His knees buckled and he was back on the floor as some more hunters began to approach.

"Aww, has the little fairy broken his wings? You don't look too good," a voice provoked.

"B-bastard..." was Gray's instinct response, unaware of who he was insulting.

"Oh, you're in no position to bad-mouth me, boy," the man gave Gray a cynical grin.

Gray assumed that this was the guild's master as the other members seamed to part away in order to let him through. The muscular man was holding a very large flail and began swinging it around his head. "Allow me to put you out of your misery, boy!" The man yelled, swinging down. After Gray's legs refused to move from their current position, the raven had no choice to squeeze his eyes shut and prepare for impact.

"Karyū no Tekken!" His flaming friend howled, punching the master in the face. The impact caused him to drop the flail, landing inches away from Gray.

"Gray, what the hell is the matter with you? How'd you get so beat up?" Natsu looked Gray up and down, seeing a few minor cuts littered around his body.

Of course Gray wasn't going to mention that he was the cause those injuries. He looked away from Natsu. "Shut up, flame brain," he muttered.

Natsu heard the comment, but was too focused on taking down the master to retaliate. "So I'm guessing you're the master of this guild, huh?"

"And what if I am, boy?"

"Well, that means that if I beat you, it's game over for the rest of these stupid hunters."

"Ho, and what makes you think you can beat me?"

"'Coz, we're Fairy Tail, you bastard! We don't know the meaning of 'give up'!"

Natsu set his fists alight and charged at the man who swung his flail around his head as he did before. Gray just sat and watched. His body too shock too much to support his own weight, and was it just him, or was it freezing in this room? He rapped his arms around him in an attempt to get warm and continued to watch the fight. Natsu threw a flaming fist into the guild master's gut, pushing him back a few paces. Thanks to his sharp reflexes, he managed to dodge most of the swings sent his way. Unfortunately, one had scuffed his shoulder, sending the salamander off balance. Natsu then had to play on the defensive side until he was able to find an opening. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait too long for one as the guild master's flail got stuck in the ground which gave Natsu the perfect opportunity.

Natsu brought his hands together and cried "Karyū no Kōen!"

The unsuspecting hunter glanced up just in time to see the flames headed his way and was rapidly blown away into the wall.

After double checking that the guild master was indeed unconscious, Natsu turned back to his rival who hadn't moved from his original position. "What the hell happened? I don't mean to praise you but, you're way stronger than this. They're not even wizards. What's going on with you?"

Gary shrugged. "Nothing, I'm fine." He was still trying to process what had just taken place, a look of annoyance plastered on his face. Of course, he was a tad bit grateful that Natsu had come to give him a hand, but why was it necessary? He magic shouldn't have acted up like that; it never does... _Unless_ Gray thought. _Maybe something is wrong?_

* * *

**Gray's so stubborn. :p**

**WAAAAH! Ice Trail is over! The ending made me cry. I've actually been thinking about writing a fanfic to do with Ice Trail, but that wouldn't be happening for a while...**

**Anywho, thanks for reading and feel free to leave a review. The next chapter might take some time as I have a busy week ahead. Off to Comic Con on Saturday. It's my first convention, can't wait!**

**Adios Amigos! :D**


	6. Duxoron Disease

**What's this? Another chapter?! Cue the Final Fantasy Victory music! Holy crap, over fifty follows! You guy's are seriously awesome, thanks so much!**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sigh...**

* * *

By sunset, the team had finished up their job and were on their way back to Magnolia to collect their sweet reward. Lucy held her head up high at their success without undertaking any major injury - just a few minor scratches. Happy was perched on Natsu's shoulder as he started nodding off. He barely had any time to rest with all these daily job requests. Wendy was carrying Carla in her arms who was also worn out from the continuous flying. Erza, as usual, was completely un-fazed, leading the pack back to Magnolia with her mass amount of luggage in tow. Gray seemed to be doing worst for wear. If he thought he was cold before, now he was shivering uncontrollably. The previous events still clouded his mind, causing his head to pound even harder than before. Was he sick? He never gets sick? He can't be... Right?

"Nothing like a nice stroll after a job well done," Lucy closed her eyes and took in the fresh air.

"The breeze is nice too," Wendy smiled.

"Yeah, well the job could of gone a lot better if Gray would get his act together," Natsu teased. When he got no response, he turned to the raven only to be greeted by stern eyes.

"What's up with you? Mad 'coz I had to save your sorry ass," Gray just turned away.

"Leave him alone Natsu, he's probably cranky after not stripping the whole day," Happy giggled as they both turned back the way they were walking.

"WHAT?!" Lucy was shocked. "You haven't stripped all day? Wow, Gray. Maybe you can finally get over that habit and I can stop finding your clothes lying around my apartment."

They continued alone their path. Erza glanced over at her team once in a while and began to notice that Gray was swaying slightly. _The job must of taken a lot out of him_ she thought. _Maybe we shouldn't have forced him along. He wasn't crazy on going in the first place._ Turning back around, Erza decided to start up the conversation again. "I think we all need a well deserved break after this."

"Maybe we could take a break to Akane Resort?" Wendy suggested.

"Ohhh, they have the best hot springs," Lucy would have continued if it weren't for being interrupted by Natsu.

"If anything we need to take a training trip 'coz Gray can't even take down a few pathetic treasure hunters." No response. Natsu was getting slightly concerned. "Seriously, what's with you?" He turned to Gray who was a few paced behind the rest of the group. "You're not even retaliating when I insult you. Is something wrong?"

Gray opening his mouth to answer, but no sound came out as the world spun on an axis. His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he slowly descended to the stone cold ground. Time seemed to stop for the rest of the team as they watch the ice wizard collapse. After a few seconds of silence Natsu was the first to react.

"Gray?!" He ran at top speed towards his rival with the girls quick to follow.

Natsu turned Gray over so he was lying on his back and was taken aback at what he saw. Gray's forehead was lined with a thick layer sweat and his breaths came out in rapid shallow pants. Despite all this, the boy was shivering. Erza knelt down next to Natsu and threw off her gauntlets. Placing her first two finger again the raven's neck, searching for a pulse. It was their, but very faint. Wendy immediately started trying to heal him, however Gray's condition didn't seem to improve at all. Lucy stood out of the way with tears in her eyes as the two Exceeds stood by her legs with similar expressions. Erza placed her hand on Natsu's forehead, much to his surprise.

"What are you-" he began, but quickly stopped himself when he realised just what she was doing.

Erza the placed her other hand on Gray's forehead to compare body temperatures. "This isn't good," she stated. "He's almost as warm as Natsu. We need to get him home, now!"

"Y-you don't think he could have that disease that master told us about this morning, do you?" Lucy stuttered.

"What were the symptoms?" Happy asked.

Carla spoke up. "Dizzy spells, drowsiness and effects the outcome of your magic. Master said that the disease reaches its peak when it causes the victims body to shut down completely."

"Oh, crap!" Natsu's eyes widened.

"What's wrong Natsu-san?" Wendy questioned.

"Before, when we were fighting, I saw Gray and it looked like he was having some trouble. Right when I turned the corner, it looked like he went to attack the treasure hunters but his magic backfired on him, literally."

"But, if he has the disease doesn't that mean he could-" Lucy couldn't bring herself to finish as tears streamed down her face.

"Natsu, you're going to have to carry him," Erza informed, her voice shaking slightly. "We need to get to the guild as fast as possible."

The fire wizard nodded his head and carefully picked up Gray's limp form and draped him over his back. The team then dashed off at the speed of light, no one daring to speak another word until they reached Fairy Tail.

* * *

The guild hall was quiet. After hearing news on Gray's condition, the once boisterous building was now almost silent. The only noises that could be heard were the hushed cries of its members. Macao and Wakaba had put their drinks down and were staring at their table. Elfman rapped his arm around his younger sister in an attempt to comfort her. Mira was silently cleaning used glasses with a solemn look on her face. Gajeel, Laxus and the Ranjishuu all kept a serious face, trying their best to hid their worried looks though it was clearly visible in their eyes. Team Shadow Gear were all staring at the infirmary doors, awaiting some further news. Juvia was definitely taking this the worst out of all. Cana held her in a warm embrace in order to calm her down. She still thought about the moment Fairy Tail's strongest team burst through the guild doors.

_"Jet!" Erza cried. "Go get Porlyusica, hurry!"_

_Jet didn't bother asking for a explanation. Erza's face was flushed, but it was clear that she was holding back her tears. He activates his magic a sped off to the forest._

_"Erza, what's going on? What happened?" Mira asked, walking up to the red-head._

_Erza closed her eyes as a tear escaped and trickled down her cheek. She turned to the door just as Natsu came in, carrying Gray on his back._

_"Gray-sama," Juvia ran towards the team, tears already flowing down her face. "He's sick isn't he?"_

_"You know?" Lucy questioned. If Juvia knew why didn't she say anything she thought._

_"Juvia saw Gray-sama in town yesterday, he didn't look too well. So Juvia followed him home and offered to take care of him, but Gray-sama insisted that he was fine and didn't need taking care of."_

_"That idiot is too damn stubborn," Cana rose from her seat._

_"Anyway, we need to get him into the infirmary," Wendy stated. "Someone call for master."_

_Natsu then took off towards the infirmary. He could feel the gaze of every guild member burning into his back, but nothing else mattered at that moment. The only thing he cared about was his rival's recovery._

* * *

Gray was lying on the infirmary bed whilst Porlyusica examined him. Makarov and the rest of the team sat on the outskirts of the room to stay out of the healers way. The tears had finally stopped and all that remained were sorrowful faces. Natsu held his head in his hands; he was definitely the most worried. If it was true that Gray had the disease that's been spreading, there was a high chance of it killing him. With Gray gone, who would Natsu have to fight. Gray was one of the reasons why Natsu trained so hard. He just doesn't want to lose to that droopy-eyes bastard... And he knows Gray feels the same way. They're each other's determination to get stronger, and to see Gray so weak, so defenceless, so helpless, Natsu didn't even have words. He hoped he'd never have to see Gray like this again. Porlyusica turned away from the almost lifeless form and started fiddling with her bag.

"Well?" Makarov forced out.

"He definitely has the symptoms for this so called disease," she answered bluntly.

Tears began welling up in their eyes again at the confirmation. Erza magnates to bring herself to speak up. "Is there anything we can do for him?" There was a desperate look in her eyes.

"There maybe be a way to help him." Everyone's faces lit up at this. "If I get a sample of his blood, I might me able to determine the creature - that is if we're assuming it's a creature - that is doing this. Then you will all be sent out to collect blood samples from the creature and I can create an antidote."

"But what if we catch the disease in the process?" Lucy pondered.

"Do not worry. The disease takes a while to kick in. By the time you start feeling the effects, I will already have an antidote made. Now, will you all please get out. I need to concentrate and having you filthy humans in here won't help." Porlyusica grabbed her broom a swatted the group like flies until they agreed to leave her in peace. All that was left to do was wait.

* * *

After a good few hours, Porlyusica emerged from the infirmary and the room fell silent. She strode up to Makarov who was sat with the rest of team. All sported a worried face, but that soon turned to hopeful after the noticed Porlyusica's presence.

"Any luck?" Makarov inquired.

"I found out that the creatures that has caused this disease are called Duxoron. They release a venom from their spiked tails when they sense a threat and live on the outskirts of Tiphis village."

"That's not too far from Okille village," Lucy stated.

"You don't think that's when Gray-san got infected, do you?"

"It's highly probable," Erza replied before returned her attention to the master.

"Alright, listen up, brats," he called. "I want you all to get into groups. Natsu, you're with Lucy and Happy. Erza, you're with Wendy and Carla. Gajeel, you're with Juvia and Pantherlilly. Mira and Cana, I want you two to look after Gray while Porlyusica gets started on the antidote. You'll need to collect a lot of blood samples just in case you get infected whilst out on the field, and please, be safe."

"AYE!" Everyone - minus Juvia - cheered, preparing to depart.

Cana noticed the downcast face on the water wizard and decided to approach her. "Hey, don't worry about Gray. I'll make sure the bastard doesn't die while your out. Just focus on getting the antidote. He's safe with us."

"Cana-san..." Juvia muttered. She gave a quick hug to the card wizards as a few tears escaped from her eyes. Cana returned the hug and watched everyone head out on their mission.

_Please guys, hurry. We don't know how long he has _Cana thought.

* * *

**For some reason I wrote the first section of this chapter really quickly. I guess my brain was thinking _quick I gotta get Gray back to the guild before he dies! _:p**

**This chapter was a lot of fun to write, probably because I'm making Gray suffer. MWUHAHAHA! **

**Don't forget to favourite, follow and review. They make me smile :)**

**Guy's! Me and Gemmery saw a whole group of Fairy Tail Cosplayer's at Comic Con! They had everyone from Team Natsu, Gajeel, Levy, Loke and even Lyon. It was friggin' awesome!**

**Now onto the manga. WHOOP! Demon Gray made his return! He looks so badass in his demon form, I hope we get to see more of it. Natsu was, again, clutching his arm. I can't wait to find out what's behind the bandage!**

**See ya!**


	7. Duxoron Hunt

**Whoop whoop! Another chapter is finally here. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own the Duxoron I guess...**

* * *

The young wizards wasted no time in getting to Tiphis village to help their fallen comrade. The journey was spent in complete silence; everyone was still trying to come to terms with one of their own possibly lying on his death bed. Juvia was definitely taking the news worse than everyone else. She refused to make eye contact with anyone and Gajeel was actually starting to get concerned for her. The group we quickly snapped back out of their thoughts when Erza finally decided to break the silence.

"Alright, listen up everyone," she called. "This is where we split off. You all have the needles to extract the blood, right?" At this everyone held up their needles. Each person had two needles each. Erza continued. "Good. Now, once you've collected as much of the Duxoron's blood as possible, report back to the centre of the village and wait for the other groups. We're on a very slim time limit so there will be no getting distracted, understand?"

"Aye!" Everyone roared before dispersing into their selected groups.

* * *

Natsu, Lucy and Happy had positioned themselves the furthest away from the village. Using Natsu's nose as a guide, they were now far from the village and almost crossing the border into Okille. That brought back memories.

"That damn bastard," Natsu growled. "If he'd just told us something was wrong back when this began he wouldn't be in this mess!"

Lucy attempted to calm the salamander down. "Natsu we're all worri-"

"I'm not worried!"

"But you know what Gray's like." Lucy continue. "He probably didn't want to worry anyone."

"Well that plan worked great didn't it? Now everyone's worried!"

"You just admitted it," Happy smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm not worried! That bastard can rot away in a pit for all I care!"

"Natsu!" Lucy scolded. Little did she know that small tendrils of tears trickles down the fire dragons face.

"I'm not worried..." he muttered, though it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than the others.

* * *

Erza was in the same mood as Natsu, showing her worry through anger. A grave expression took over her face as she lead Wendy and Carla to the back of the village. Wendy decided to try and lift the tension in the air, though Carla doubted it would work.

"Erza-san," she began. "I know how you feel but, if you don't keep a level head about this, you won't be able to focus properly."

Erza sighed. "You're right, Wendy. It's just..." She sighed again. "I thought that fool was more mature than this. He should have come to use when he noticed something was wrong with him. I just don't see why he decided to hide his sickness from us."

Carla rolled her eyes. "Well, if you were sick, would you have told us?"

Erza opened her mouth to speak, but quickly closed it as she couldn't bring herself to answer.

"See? And Gray doesn't seam like the type to just talk about how he's feeling. In fact, he always seams kinda distant."

"I wouldn't blame him after the things he's been through." Erza's face dropped.

* * *

Juvia was frantically searching for the so-called Duxoron. Every possible hiding place was checked multiple times by the water wizard in hope of finding the creatures. Gajeel's concerns for his friend continued to rise. He knew that Gray was important to the girl; this must be killing her (metaphorically of course).

"Juvia are you alright?" He knew it was a stupid question, but he needed the conversation to go somewhere.

"No, Gajeel-kun. How can Juvia be fine when Gray-sama is dying at the guild. Juvia should have stayed with him. What if he-" she was cut off by her dragon companion.

"Don't you dare start thinking like that. The ice prick is too stubborn to let himself get killed by something so petty. Just focus on getting the blood samples and then you can go and sit by that bastard's side all you want."

_Gajeel doesn't really show it, but he really does care deeply for his comrades_ Pantherlilly pondered, smiling.

Juvia gave a sad smile. "Gajeel-kun is right. Juvia must do her part to help Gray-sama."

"We also have the opportunity to save many others if the antidote works," Lilly added.

"You mean _when _the antidote works," Gajeel glared at Lilly after seeing Juvia's worried glance.

"R-right."

* * *

Back at the guild hall, Cana and Mirajane were keeping a watchful eye over their helpless friend. Mira was continuously dabbing beads of sweat off the ice wizards face as he forced to get breaths out.

"This isn't looking good," Cana frowned. "He just keeps getting worse. At this rate he'll-"

"Don't. We need to have faith that the others will get the blood samples in time. I know they will," Mira glanced over to Gray's pale complexion.

"That idiot, making us all worry like this," Cana leaned back in her chair. She hadn't had a single sip of alcohol since the news hit the guild.

Mira rolled her eyes at the card wizard before turning back to their patient. "Just hang in there a little longer, Gray. The others will be back soon with a cure. I promise."

* * *

Natsu, Lucy and Happy we're dodging left and right as spikes flew from every direction. The Duxoron came in large packs. The creatures weren't that large, but their tails seemed bigger than their own heads. Endless amounts of spikes flew out of their tails towards the group of three as they hid behind trees and anything else that would avoid them getting diseased like their friend.

"How are we supposed to get blood samples when I can't even get close to them?" Natsu called over to Lucy and Happy.

"Maybe my spirits can do something to knock them out?" Lucy wondered pulling out her keys.

"Open! Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"

"How may I assist you - moshi moshi?" He saluted.

"Can you knock out those creatures over there, please?" Lucy pointed towards the pack of Duxoron.

"Can do, milady."

Faster than the speed of sound, Sagittarius readied his bow and shot an arrow which then multiplied into several and pierced through the vulnerable bodies of the Duxoron.

"Yes!" Lucy cheered. "Thanks, Sagittarius."

"Any time," and with that, Sagittarius returned to his world.

Natsu and Lucy ran towards the unconscious pack with Happy flying along side them. Rapidly, they all filled up their needles full of Duxoron blood, grabbed their belongings and dashed towards the meet-up point.

"We're lucky we didn't get diseased," Natsu pointed out as they ran.

"Don't be too sure, Gray didn't realise he'd been diseased before it was too late. It's better to be safe than sorry," Lucy replied.

* * *

Over at the guild, Mira had left the infirmary in order to get some fresh air and sat at a table with her younger siblings. Kinana brought her over a drink to sooth her nerves.

"How's Gray?" Lisanna asked, a little hesitant by the look on her big sisters face.

"It's not looking good. His fever just keeps getting worse. It won't be a matter of time before he-" Mira stopped herself mid sentence. No one dared to say that word when referring to their comrade.

"Don't worry Nee-san. Gray is a man, he'll pull through. He always does," Elfman replied, his signature grin on his face.

"Natsu and the others will be back soon with the blood samples and Gray will be back on his feet before you know it."

Mira gave a sad smile towards her siblings. "You're right. We just need to have faith in them."

Cana remained in the infirmary, watching Gray's chest raise and fall as he forced breaths out. Memories of their childhood together flooded her mind.

_It was mid-morning and Cana was still in bed. Being sick sucked! Today she had planned to go out on a job with Gray but instead she was curled up in bed with a fever... And she'd been really looking forward to it too. It had been a few months since Gray joined the guild and the two eight year old's were getting along great. Cana loved that she finally had a friend her age to talk to and hang out with; it meant she didn't have to sit and listen to Macao and Wakaba's banter every hour of the day. So when she woke up feeling like utter crap, you can imagine how disappointed she was that she couldn't leave her bed. Gray would be furious with her. Cana had already sent word to the guild to inform them that she wouldn't be coming in today. The brunette stared at her ceiling for what felt like an eternity until she heard a knock at the door._

_"Who is it?" Her weak voice called._

_"It's Gray"_

_Oh crap. This was the last thing she needed. She already felt bad enough that she let her team mate down, now she had to deal with this. Realising she still hadn't answered the ice wizard, she beckoned him to come inside._

_"Yo. Gramps told me you were sick so I went to Porlyusica and asked her if she could make something to bring your fever down," he smiled handing Cana a cup with some strange looking liquid in._

_Cana was confused. He wasn't mad? "Thanks," she responded, taking a sip._

_Gray sat down with his back against the bed and chuckled slightly when he heard Cana gag after taking the remedy._

_"Yuck! That was disgusting!"_

_"Heh. I said it would help your fever. I never said it tasted nice."_

_"You know I really hate you sometimes." Gray just rolled his eyes, smiling. "So why did you come here?"_

_The raven place his arms around the back of his head. "Well it's boring around the guild with all those old farts blabbering on about nonsense and Wakaba drives me insane so I thought I'd come here to see how you were doing."_

_"What about the job?"_

_"We can do it some other time and it's way too boring going on jobs alone."_

_Cana smiled and lay her head back on her pillow. "You're an idiot."_

The card wizard couldn't help but smile about the memory. Gray always prioritised his friends' well-being over his, so much that it led to him completely disregarding his own health to please others. _Definitely an idiot _Cana thought._ And if he doesn't stop he'll end up a dead idiot. _Cana resumed her gaze on Gray's slowing moving chest, watched it rise and fall, rise and fall until...

It stopped.

"Gray?" Cana questioned, thinking that he may have woken up. No response. "Gray?" She said again, this time more desperate. She rapidly made her way to his bed side and leaned in to listened out for breaths. When she heard nothing she hovered her had not far away from Gray's mouth hoping to feel something. Nothing. Panicking even more she placed her first two fingers on the ice wizards neck for a pulse. Relaxing only slightly after finding one that was much much slower than when they last checked. Remembering the predicament they were in Cana brought her hands together and started doing compressions at a steady beat.

"Somebody!" She cried, tears welling up in her eyes.

Upon hearing this, the Strauss siblings along with the master burst into the room.

"Cana, what's wrong?" Makarov asked.

"Gray he's... He's not breathing!"

* * *

**Did I go over board with the Gray x Cana friendship? I feel like I didn't do the fights all that well, but I didn't wanna show everyone fighting 'coz that'd be way to repetitive... Oh well. :p**

**I hate to admit it but the next chapter will be the finale of Diseased! :'( It's gone by so fast.**

**But on the other hand, this means I can focus more on my up coming fanfics like Mystery Circle. I've already written the first chapter out and it's over 3,000 words! I think you're all gonna love it. I've been doing so much planning for it and I hope it'll be as fun to read as it was to write.**

**You probably know that I've been writing more one-shots too no matter how bad they are *cough* Skiing Trip *cough* and I will definitely be doing more so feel free to suggest any ideas and I'll try to do them justice.**

**Don't forget to leave a review and maybe even a follow and favourite if you haven't already.**

**See you in the next one! ;)**


	8. Will He Make It?

**Here we go. It's finale time. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail**

* * *

Most of the group we're sat on the train hastily making their way back to Magnolia. Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy took a head start by catching a ride with their Exceed companions in order to get the blood samples back to Porlyusica in the forest to finish the antidote. The girls on the train were doing their best at having a light hearted conversation to keep their spirits high, but the worry in their voices were all too clear. They couldn't help but keep the conversation topic on Gray.

"I just hope the dragon slayers can get back fast enough," Erza sighed, her face downcast.

"They will Erza," Lucy encouraged. "Natsu hasn't let us down yet and he's not gonna start now."

Juvia had been silent throughout with one thought constantly in her mind. _Please be safe, Gray-sama. _Erza realised - by the look on Juvia's face - that the blue haired teen was on the brink of tears. She felt very sympathetic towards the water wizard; Gray had been the one to show Juvia the light and bring a smile back to the girls face.

"Juvia," Erza rested her hand on the blunette's knee. "Gray is going to be okay. We're not going to let anything happen to him."

Juvia met Erza's gaze. "Thanks, Erza-san. Juvia knows, but she can't help but worry for Gray-sama."

"I'm sure the others are already back to the guild by now giving Gray the antidote," Lucy smiled.

"Y-yeah."

* * *

The dragon slayers had returned to Porlyusica to finish making the antidote and we're now about to enter the guild. Kicking the door down, Natsu stormed into the guild hall only to realise the place was completely empty.

"What the?" Natsu muttered. "Gramps?! Mira?! Cana?!"

After getting no response Natsu headed straight for the infirmary, however he was quickly stopped by Gajeel.

"Save it, fire breath. No one's here."

"What'll we do?" Happy wailed. "If we don't find everyone then we can't get the antidote to Gray... And if we don't get the antido-"

Carla squeezed Happy's lips shut. "Calm down. There has to be something around here that will explain why this place is barren."

"You mean like this?" Wendy called from the counter, where Makarov usually sits to watch over his brats. "There's a piece of paper here. All it says is _hospital_."

"That's good enough, let's hurry there. We're running out of time," Porlyusica concluded and as fast as they showed up, they left.

* * *

Bursting through the hospital doors, Natsu saw the solemn faces of almost all of his guild mates. Mira was sat in a chair next to a very distraught Cana and Makarov was pacing on the tiled floor. The dragons and Exceeds couldn't help but worry.

"Gramps, what's going on?" Natsu asked, though he was pretty sure he didn't want to know the answer.

"While you we're all out, Gray's lungs failed and we had to bring him to the hospital," yep, he didn't want to know. Makarov continued. "They've got him hooked up to a ventilator but his condition isn't exactly _stable_. We won't be able to give him the antidote until after the doctors get him stabilised."

The new arrivals faces dropped at this. What we're they going to do now? They had to give Gray the antidote before it was too late. The raven was already to weak to even bad an eyelid, if they didn't give him the antidote soon, he would surely die.

"Maybe- maybe there's a way I can help," Wendy suggested, raising her voice.

"Unfortunately, your type of healing magic won't help here, Wendy," Makarov sighed.

"So what? We just sit here and wait?" Gajeel enquired.

"I'm afraid so."

* * *

_Gray was floating in a sea of black. Well, he thought he was floating, but who knows in this place. He couldn't tell if his eyes were open or not as the darkness coated his form. "Hello?" He called in vain. Of course there was no one there; he was in he middle of pure nothingness. Still, that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. "Somebody." Again he was met with silence. The ice wizard tried to bring his hand to his face, but to no avail. Every limb felt like lead as they hung lifelessly while he floated through the abyss. "Damn, what the hell is going on?" Suddenly, a blinding white light obscured everything - if there was anything - from view, forcing Gray to squeeze his eyes shut._

_"Gray. Open your eyes. Gray," a voice called... Wait. Hadn't he heard that voice before?_

_Gray slowly opened his eyes to reveal a young woman with long black hair and piercing red/pink eyes. "Ultear," he exclaimed. "W-what are you doing here? You're supposed to be-"_

_"Gray, you're dying."_

_"I-I'm what?!"_

_"You're dying. Currently, you're lying in a hospital bed as your lungs failed while you were unconscious in your guild's infirmary."_

_"Wait?" There were too many questions he needed answering. "Why am- was I in the infirmary?"_

_"Try to think back these past few days. How have you been feeling lately?"_

_"A little under the weather, but nothing too serious."_

_"And your magic?"_

_"I-" Gray stopped himself. Okay, he didn't have a logical explanation for why his magic exploded in his face. "I just have a cold. I'm not sick, honest."_

_"And since when do ice wizard's get colds?"_

_"Okay, maybe it's not a cold, but it's nothing worth worrying about."_

_"That stubbornness will be the death of you someday... And that day might come soon if you don't act fast. Your body is ready to give up. All of your friends are waiting to know you're okay. They even have a way of saving you, but because you're in such a critical condition, they're at a stalemate."_

_Gray stared at nothing for what felt like an eternity before responding, his voice shaking. "I... I don't wanna die. I'm only eighteen dammit! I made a promise to keep living for my parents, Ur and you. I don't wanna leave Fairy Tail behind. I love those bastards. I... I can't-"_

_Suddenly, the blinding light returned and his mind went still. Ultear's form dissipated and all that remained... Was darkness._

* * *

They must have been waiting at least an hour. Natsu had joined Makarov in pacing up and down, muttering insults towards the raven under his breath. Lucy sat with Happy in her arms, both looking as though they could break down any second. Wendy was being held in an embrace with Mirajane sporting a truly inconsolable look while Carla sat with her arms folded. Juvia was silently sobbing next to the guild's binge drinker who couldn't shake off the undying guilt she felt. Other members were gathered around anticipating any news on their comrades condition... Well, waiting for good news.

"Something should have happened by now," Natsu complained.

"Be patient Natsu," Lisanna replied. "He'll be okay."

Natsu didn't respond and went back to pacing. The room returned to silence for another five minutes until a nurse walked through the doors.

"Family of Fullbuster-san?"

"Yes, how is he?" Makarov ran towards the woman.

"His condition has stabilised so we are able to give him the antidote if it's ready?"

"I have it here," Porlyusica spoke up.

"If you would like to come through, you can give Fullbuster-san the antidote."

The nurse began to open the doors and turned to see the entire Fairy Tail guild following her. "Umm... It would be best of only this woman come through."

The wizards' faces dropped upon hearing this and let Porlyusica pass, slight relief flew through the atmosphere. Gray was going to be okay.

When Porlyusica entered the hospital room she was taken aback. Gray was far too pale, even for an ice wizard. An oxygen mask was placed over the boy's mouth and nose as his lungs had been weakened too much for him to breath without support and his hair was swept back out of his face.

"Look what you're stubbornness has done to you, fool," she stared at the boy with woeful eyes.

The healer attached the antidote to a needle and made her way to Gray's bedside. Rolling up the sleeve of his hospital gown, she slowly injected the sick wizard the the fluid. A groan came from Gray's mouth that almost couldn't be heard thanks to it being covered, but she took this as a good sign and pulled out the needle. Soon after, doctors that had been present gathered round the pale body to monitor his condition. Porlyusica was advised to leave and she was more than happy to oblige as she desperately wanted to get away from these repulsive humans.

Fairy Tail was, once again, left to wait until signs of Gray's condition improving was evident. In the meantime, Porlyusica gave the antidote to all the members who put themselves at risk to get blood samples and the left over liquid was given to to hospital for their research. After waiting for around three hours a doctor finally came out of the double doors to deliver some news.

"Luck was really on your side today, Fairy Tail," he smiled.

"He's okay?" Natsu jumped up from his seat.

"I wouldn't exactly call him 'okay' yet, but his condition has remarkably improved in the past few hours."

"Can we see him?" Erza asked.

"It would be better if you didn't. He still hasn't regained consciousness and his body is still extremely weak after the disease. You can visit again tomorrow when he's in recovery."

...and that's exactly what they did. For the next two weeks, one member of the guild would visit each day. Natsu and the rest of the team took jobs quite frequently to help with the hospital funds so Makarov would visit Gray in their place. After coming back from a very tiring job, they decided it would be in their best interest to check up on their team mate's condition. Once they found out what room number he was in, the team scurried down the hall way and were slightly shocked when the heard mumbles coming from the other side of the door. Not wasting anytime, Natsu gave the door a might push and was met by none other than their guild master.

"You've returned. How was the job?" Makarov asked with one of the biggest grins the team had ever seen.

Next to Makarov, sat up (with pillows to support) on his hospital bed, was their team mate Gray, awake. The raven still looked too pale for their liking and dark circles were evident under his eyes, but he was awake and right now, that's all the mattered.

"Gray!" The entire team cried running over to his bedside.

"Yo," he smiled weakly.

"How you feeling?" Erza asked.

"When did you wake up?" Lucy questioned.

"Gray, I missed you," Happy hopped onto his bed.

"You had us all worried," Carla mentioned.

"Do you need me to heal you?" Wendy suggested.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Natsu stated.

After being bombarded with questions, Gray rolled his eyes and tried to answer as best as he could. "I'm fine. I woke up about half an hour ago. Gramps already told me everything that happened."

"So you know how stupid you were being," Natsu grunted.

"Shut up flamebrain. Look I'm sorry alright. I just didn't want to admit to being sick. I didn't want to be a burden to the team," he turned away, embarrassed.

"And look where that got you," Erza rolled her eyes. "It's a miracle you didn't die."

"Gray, don't do that again. I was worried," Happy took a seat next to Gray's abdomen.

"Don't worry. I promise I won't do this again," he patted Happy's head in reassurance. "Thanks for saving me guys."

"Don't mention it, Gray," Makarov grinned. "Just focus on recovering and you'll be back to your old self before you know it."

* * *

It took the majority of the month for Gray to fully recover, but Makarov insisted he spend more time before he could go back on jobs or fight anyone again. So you can imagine how happy the ice wizard was to get back in on all the guild brawls. The minute Makarov deemed him well enough, Gray and Natsu immediately broke out into one of their classic pointless brawls. No one bothered to stop them. Everyone just laughed at the pair and cheered them on, some placing bets on who would win. After they both collapsed of exhaustion, the raven struggled to his feet and went over to the bar to share a drink with Cana. Eventually, the entire guild was drinking alone with them. Lucy woke a few hours later, when did she fall asleep? Getting a better look at her surroundings she saw her fellow guild mates all sprawled out around the hall. _They must have passed out after drinking_ she thought. Glancing over to her left, she saw the rest of her team sleeping along side her, smiles etched over their faces. Lucy rolled her eyes, chuckling slightly. Yep, everything was back to normal.

* * *

**Holy jeez it's over! I can't decided if I'm happy or sad. I loved writing this fic and now it's over. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.**

**Thank you soooooo much to everyone who reviewed, followed and favourited. I can't believe how many I've gotten. Until this one the highest amount of reviews I'd gotten on a fic was eleven, and now I've got friggin' fifty! You guy's are the best!**

**Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you in the next fic! ;)**


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